mér er sama

I Don't Mind (Mér Er Sama)

Level 3

Viltu te eða kaffi? – Mér er sama. (I don’t mind.) The person who doesn’t mind is in the dative.

How It Works

How it is built. mér er sama means it is all the same to me. Like mér er kalt, it has the person in the dative instead of a nominative subject (see subjects in the dative):

  • mér er sama (I don’t mind), þér er sama, honum/henni er sama
  • okkur er sama, ykkur er sama, þeim er sama

sama is the same for a man and a woman. For the past, use var: Mér var sama.

Not caring about something. Add um + accusative, or a whole clause:

  • Honum er sama um peninga. (He doesn’t care about money.)
  • Mér er alveg sama hvað aðrir segja. (I really don’t care what others say.)

With ekki, it shows that you do care: Mér er ekki sama um þig (I care about you).

Asking for permission. Er þér sama þótt ...? means Do you mind if ...? After þótt the verb is in the subjunctive: Er þér sama þótt ég opni gluggann? You can also use ef with the ordinary present: Er þér sama ef ég opna gluggann? The question literally asks Is it all the same to you?, so a friendly go-ahead answer starts with já: Já, já, gerðu það (Yes, go ahead).

Tone. Said warmly, Mér er alveg sama means I really don’t mind. Said flatly, it can sound like I don’t care at all, so your voice matters. A friendly way to hand over the choice is Mér er sama, þú mátt velja (I don’t mind, you can choose).

Examples (6)

  1. Viltu te eða kaffi? – Mér er sama.

    Would you like tea or coffee? – I don’t mind.

    Word by Word: Want-you tea or coffee? – To me is same.

  2. Er þér sama þótt ég opni gluggann?

    Do you mind if I open the window?

    Word by Word: Is to you same though I open the window?

    þótt takes the subjunctive: opni.

  3. Mér er alveg sama hvað aðrir segja.

    I really don’t care what others say.

  4. Honum er sama um peninga.

    He doesn’t care about money.

    Word by Word: To him is same about money.

  5. Mér er ekki sama um þig.

    I care about you.

    Word by Word: To me is not same about you.

  6. Okkur var sama þótt það rigndi.

    We didn’t mind that it was raining.

    Word by Word: To us was same though it rained.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a nominative subject.

    Ég er sama.
    Mér er sama.

    sama needs the person in the dative: mér, þér, honum, henni, okkur.

  • Using the ordinary present after þótt.

    Er þér sama þótt ég opna gluggann?
    Er þér sama þótt ég opni gluggann?

    þótt takes the subjunctive, opni. If you want the ordinary form opna, use ef instead: Er þér sama ef ég opna gluggann?

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mér er samaLevel 3I Don't Mind (Mér Er Sama)

Learn This First

mér er sama builds on mér er kalt.

Words in This Pattern

samaméralvegþóttum